Chicago Afrobeat Project Releases New CD "Nyash UP!" on 2/26/13

Afrobeat gets a new twist on February 26, 2013 when genre veteran Chicago Afrobeat Project releases its fourth studio effort Nyash UP! on its own label, CAbP Music.Nyash UP! showcases the band mashing songs from Radiohead and Fugazi with Fela Kuti, while also completely reinterpreting songs from R&B legend Marvin Gaye, Brazilian superstar Ceu, rock powerhouse System of a Down, electronic pioneers 808 State, free jazz group The Vandermark 5, and rock groups Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads.As recently put by the Chicago Reader, the band is “arguably the Midwest’s best practitioners of the funky style pioneered more than four decades ago by Nigerian national hero Fela Kuti….”"This album captures the band reimagining our flavor of afrobeat we’ve played for more than a decade," says Kevin Ford, keyboardist for the band. "We have always used afrobeat as a musical springboard, and by covering influential artists, we were able to think about our music in a new way."Recorded at Fullerton Recording in Chicago's musically rich Logan Square neighborhood, it is easy to hear the influence of Egypt '80 era Fela Kuti recordings on the group, alongside more contemporary urban sounds from the artists the band covers.Vocals take a larger role in this studio effort for the group – a departure from the prior three albums. Guest vocalist Ugochi and rapper S. Squair Blaq add an urban Chicago edge to the group’s complex musical arrangements. Taken together, the music stretches into new territories incorporating elements of hip-hop, orchestra-like musical arrangement, and stylistic explorations of rock, jazz and funk.The band hits the road this spring and summer in support of the album.About Chicago Afrobeat Project:Ten years ago Chicago Afrobeat Project grew out of an underground art and loft party scene on Lake Street in the West Loop. As one of the leading afrobeat bands in the United States – and 100% independent -- the group helped push a musical style pioneered by Fela Kuti to a wider-reaching audience. Coast-to-coast performances at clubs and festivals have put CAbP within a few hours’ drive of nearly every major urban market. The band releases its fourth album “Nyash UP!” on February 26, 2013.